Glossary
WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks, .vtt) is the W3C standard caption format for HTML5 video. It's effectively SRT with a few additions — header, styling, positioning, regions — designed for browser playback. If your video lives on a website inside a <video> tag, VTT is the format you want.
VTT file structure
VTT files start with a WEBVTT header, then cue blocks similar to SRT but with . separating seconds and milliseconds (instead of SRT's comma) and optional cue settings on the timestamp line. Example:
WEBVTT 00:00:00.500 --> 00:00:03.200 Welcome to the show. 00:00:03.500 --> 00:00:07.800 align:center Today we're talking about open-source speech recognition.
VTT vs SRT — when to use which
Use SRT for: YouTube captions, video editor workflows (Premiere, Final Cut), social-media uploads, file delivery to clients. Use VTT for: HTML5 <video> elements (loaded via <track src="...vtt">), Vimeo (accepts both, prefers VTT), Cloudflare Stream, Mux, Wistia, Brightcove, and any web-native video player. Most modern video CMSes accept both — when in doubt, use VTT for the web.
Styling and positioning
VTT supports inline styling (italic, bold, color via CSS classes referenced from a STYLE block in the header) and positioning cues (top/bottom/left/right). SRT doesn't — if you need styled captions, VTT is required. For burn-in captions, use VTT or SRT and let the burn-in tool apply visual style outside the file.
In practice
You're embedding a video on your blog using HTML5 <video>. Upload your audio to Transcript.you, click Export VTT, download the .vtt file. Add it to your video element: <track src="my-video.vtt" kind="captions" srclang="en">. Browser-native captions, accessible to screen readers and toggleable by viewers.
Related terms
Further reading
Generate VTT captions
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does VTT (WebVTT) mean in transcription?
Web Video Text Tracks. The subtitle format native to HTML5 video. Used by Vimeo, browser-based players, and modern web video CMS systems.
Why does VTT (WebVTT) matter when choosing a transcription workflow?
VTT (WebVTT) affects how you understand transcript quality, timing, compatibility, or the technology behind speech-to-text results.
Where can I apply VTT (WebVTT) on Transcript.you?
Use the related workflow at /audio-to-vtt when you want to see how this glossary concept connects to an actual transcription task.
Browse the full transcription glossary or read the complete guide to AI transcription.